Straightening equipment

ABSTRACT

Tensioning apparatus for straightening an object such as a damaged vehicle part comprises a tensile member for attachment to the object, and a pulley for guiding the tensile member to means for engaging the tensile member. The engaging means and the pulley are mounted on a post provided with means for effecting relative movement apart of the engagement means and the pulley to tension the tensile member. An anchor is provided for anchoring the post against such tension. This apparatus is more compact and stronger than comparable prior art apparatuses.

United States Patent [191 Roes July 8, 1975 [54] STRAIGHTENING EQUIPMENT 3,698,233 lBluske i:

3,754,43 l rt [76] Inventor: Antonius Albertus Roes, PO. Box age y zgb Ontario Canada KOE Primary Examiner-Richard J. Herbst Assistant ExaminerD. M. Gurley [22] Filed: Aug. 6, 1973 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Armstrong, Nakaido & 2| Appl. No.: 385,680 wegw 57 ABSTRACT [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Fr f h b h aszzzzazzez szai'zrs$252,115,512":5:839:31; Nov. l6 I972 United Kingdom 53035/72 for attachment to the ob ect, and a pulley for guldlng the tensile member to means for engaging the tensile C(il. 72/4f372,l;/')2/37(l): member. The engaging means and the pulley are mounted on a post provided with means for effecting [58] Field of Search 72/705, 457

relative movement apart of the engagement means [56] Re'erences cued and the pulley to tension the tensile member An anchor ts provlded for anchoring the post against such UNITED STATES PATENTS tension. This apparatus is more compact and stronger 3,340,720 9/ I967 Chartier 72/705 X than comparable prior art apparatuses. 3,589,680 6/197] Kuhn .l 72/705 X 3,630,066 12/197! Chisum 72/705 x 5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures l0 I v9 was a5 or 34 f PHTENTEUJUL 8 I975 SHEET 2 BF 2 FIG.

STRAIGHTENING EQUIPMENT The present invention relates to tensioning apparatus for use, for example, in straightening damaged chassis and coachwork of motor vehicles,

Various tensioning mechanisms for this purpose have previously been proposed. These mechanisms are increasingly being employed for reshaping motor vehicle parts which have been bent by collison. Usually, such mechanisms employ a ground anchorage, a chain secured by a gripping or anchorage device to the vehicle part which is to be reshaped and extending to a support frame or post, which is secured to the ground anchorage, and a tensioning device, for example a hydraulic jack, for exerting a tension in the chain, the support frame or post being adjustable for controlling the direc tion of the pull exerted by the tensioning of the chain on the vehicle part.

These previously proposed mechanisms have the disadvantages that they are too complicated, and are therefore expensive, too bulky to be readily moved from place to place in a confined and busy workshop, and, in some cases, liable to distortion of the support frame or post, or arms extending therefrom, by the tension in the chain.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved tensioning member in which tension is imparted to a tensile member by tensioning the tensile member parallel to a post, so that the loads exerted on the post by such tensioning are mainly, or even entirely, compressive.

According to the present invention, tensioning apparatus is provided which comprises a tensile member for attachment to an object to which tension is to be applied, a pulley for guiding the tensile member from the object to means for engaging the tensile member, the engaging means and the tensile member being carried on a post, means for effecting relative movement apart of the engaging means and the pulley along the post to exert a tension in the tensile member, and means for anchoring the post against such tension.

The invention will be more readily understood from the following description of an embodiment thereof given by way of example with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a front view of a tensioning apparatus embodiment the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a rear view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a view in perspective of a buffer stop arrangement for use with the apparatus illustrated in FIG. I; and

FIG. 4 shows a front view of a modified tensioning apparatus embodying the present invention.

As shown in FIG. I, the apparatus has a vertical, cylindrical hollow post 10, which extends upwardly from a base plate 11, and is rigidly secured thereto by means of a sleeve I2, welded to the base plate 11 and the hollow post 10.

A pulley support in the form of a frame indicated generally by reference numeral 14 extends transversely of the post 10. The frame 14 comprises a pair of parallel, vertical side walls in the form of plates, which extend at opposite sides of the post parallel to one another and of which only one is visible in the drawing and is indicated by reference numeral 15. A pair of chain pulleys 16 are supported by and between the plates IS on axles 17.

A pair of mechanically actuatable hydraulic jacks 19 are mounted on the pulley support frame 14 and act between the latter and abutments 20, which are formed by plates welded to a sleeve 21. The sleeve 21, and further sleeves 22 and 23, are cylindrical and extend coaxially around the post I0, the sleeves 21, 22 and 23 being slidable along the post 10.

At the top of the post 10 and the sleeve 23, there is provided a pulley mounting, indicated generally by reference numeral 25, which includes a pair of side plates, of which only one is visible and is indicated by reference numeral 26, between which a pulley 28 is rotatably mounted on an axle 29. and a lower. cylindrical portion 30 which protrudes downwardly into the tops of the sleeve 23 and the post 10. The pulley mounting 25 further has a support flange 31, which rests on the top of the sleeve 23.

A chain 33 is guided around the undersides of the guide pulleys 16 between the plates 15, and over the pulley 28 between the side plates 26, and at the righthand side of the apparatus, as viewed in FIG. I, extends through an abutment in the form of a short pipe 34. A locking plate 35, which is formed with a slot (not shown) enabling it to be dropped down into engagement with one of the links of the chain 33, bears against the pipe 34 for securing the chain 33 from movement in one direction through the pipe 34.

At the rear of the apparatus, as shown in FIG. 2, a lifting device'in the form of a winch 27 is mounted on the frame 14 and a further pulley 32 is provided on an extension of the axle 29 of the pulley 28. A cable 36 is wound at one end on the winch 27, and extends upwardly from the winch 27, over the pulley 32 and then downwardly to the frame 14, to which the cable 36 is anchored where indicated by reference numeral 37.

The weight of the frame 14 is supported from the post 10 on a projecting transverse pin 24 extending through the post 10.

Depending upon the height at which it is desired to exert a tension, the winch 27 is operated to raise the frame 14 from the pin 24, which is then removed. The frame 14 is then lowered, the pulley mounting 25 and one or more of thesleeves 22 and 23 are removed from the post 10, and the pulley mounting 25 is then replaced on the top of the post 10. By means of the winch 27, the frame 14 can then be raised slightly above a new operating position, so that the pin 24 can be reinserted in the post 10 at a higher position than previously, and the frame 14 can finally be gently lowered into the new operating position, in which it is supported on the pin 24.

Rotation of the pulley support frame 14 about the post 10 is prevented by means of a transverse pin 38, which can be inserted through the pulley support frame 14 and any one of a plurality of transverse locating holes, of which only one is shown and is indicated by reference numeral 39, and which are formed in the post 10 at different heights.

A reel 40 is provided on the base plate 11 around the sleeve 12 for storage of the chain 33 when the apparatus is not in use. To facilitate movement of the apparatus, the base plate 11 is provided with two wheels 4], of which only one is shown and which are freely rotatable about fixed axes, and an adjustable wheel 42, which is shown in a raised or retracted position in FIG. I and which may be locked in a lower position relative to the base plate 11, to enable the base plate 11 to be supported above the ground 43 on the wheels 41 and 42.

In operation of the apparatus, the right-hand end of the chain 33, as viewed in FIG. 1, is anchored to the ground43, which may for example .be the concrete floor of a workshop, by a suitable, known ground anchoring device (not shown). The other end of the chain is secured by a known gripper device to. for example, a bent part of a motor vehicle which is to be reshaped, and which is in turn anchored to the ground 43.by known means.

The hydraulic jacks 19 are then actuated to raise the sleeves 21 to 23 relative to the pulley support frame 14 and thereby to raise the pulley mounting 25. Since, as illustrated, the pulleys l6 and 28 are disposed in a triangular array with their axes parallel, and the axis of the pulley 28 extends transversely of that of the post 10, the tensioning of the chain 33 resulting from the extension of the jacks 19 will cause only compressive forces to be exerted on the post 10, which therefore is not liable to be bent. The plates form strong and short moment arms, and are therefore readily able to withstand the bending moments exerted thereon.

It will be appreciated that the apparatus is relatively compact and requires very little floor space when not in use, and also that the apparatus can be readily moved from place to place within a workshop.

If it is desired to exert larger than normal tensions, the left hand pulley 16, as viewed in FIG. 1, may be replaced by a pair of pulleys arranged side-byside, on the axle 17, and a floating pulley may be provided between the apparatus and the article to be reshaped, the chain being guided around these three pulleys and anchored by a shackle (not shown) engaged in a hole 45 formed in an anchorage bracket 46 secured at the underside of the pulley support frame 15. The floating pulley is then secured by a short length of additional chain and a gripper device to the part to be reshaped.

Instead of anchoring the device to the ground by means of the chain 33, the anchorage bracket 46, or the reel 40, and a suitable length of chain may be used for this purpose.

The buffer arrangement shown in FIG. 3 is for use when, in addition to exerting a pull on one portion of a bent object by means of the chain 33, it is also desired to provide an abutment against another portion of that part. It will be understood that these circumstances may arisedepending on the desired and distorted or bent shapes of the object. The buffer arrangement comprises two upright posts 50, which are shaped to fit at the lower ends thereof into cylindrical sockets 51 (of which only is shown see FIG. 1) secured to the base plate 11. The upper ends of the posts 50 are connected and braced together by a cross-piece 52. A pair of parallel, horizontal arms 53 extend from the posts 50 and support a buffer stop 54. In use, the lower ends of the posts 50 are fitted into the sockets S1 with the arms 53 extending to the left, as viewed in FIG. 1, from the posts 50 and the rest of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

If the arms 53, in the above-described position are too long for any specific straightening operation, the buffer can be raised from the sockets 51, rotated through 180 and then replaced in the sockets 51, and the base 11 can be rotated through 180 relative to the frame 14, so that the arms then extend from the right of the post 10, as viewed in FIG. 1, to the left thereof.

The modified embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 4 has a cylindrical hollow post secured at its lower end to a base 111 by means of a sleeve 112.

A pulley support indicated generally by reference nu- .meral 114 is secured to the post 110 and has two side cheeks 115 (of which only one is illustrated) between which a pulley 116 is freely rotatably mounted.

A hydraulic jack "7 is supported at its lower end on the pulley support 114 and at its upper end engages a bracket 118 projecting laterally from an upper sleeve 119 which is slidable along the post 110.

A tensile member in the form of a chain 121 extends upwardly, substantially vertically, from the pulley I16 5 to the bracket 118, to which one end of the chain 121 is anchored by a locking member 123 which engages with the chain 121 above the bracket 118.

The chain 121 is guided around the pulley 116 and provided at its other end with a hook 125, or other suit able engagement member such as a clamp or gripper, for securely engaging a workpiece (not shown).

The apparatus thus far described is anchored to the ground by an anchoring device 127 and an anchoring chain 129 engaged by the anchoring device 127 and by a chain engagement hook 131 secured to a sleeve 133 forming part of the pulley support 114.

When the apparatus is in use, the pulley support 114 is secured at the desired height on the post 110 by means of a locking pin 135. The hook or other engagement member at one end of the chain 121 is then secured to the workpiece, and the other end of the chain 121 is secured by the locking member 123 to the bracket 118, which, with the locking pin 123 and the upper sleeve 119, forms a retainer for the chain.

By means of a hydraulic pump 137, connected to the jack 117 by a hydraulic hose 138, the hydraulic jack 117 is extended and raises the upper sleeve 119 along the post 110, thus applying a tension through the chain 121 to the workpiece.

The jack 117 is disposed, as shown, between the substantially vertical chain 121 and the post 110 and close to the latter and the chain 121, and since the lever arms formed by the bracket 118 and the pulley support 114 are short and the upper sleeve 119 is long, large bending moments are not exerted on the post 110, which can readily withstand the mainly longitudinal forces exerted thereon.

Instead of being connected to the hook 125 or other engagement member, to increase the force exerted on the workpiece, the chain 121 can be wrapped through around a freely floating pulley and anchored to the underside of the pulley support 114, the freely floating pulley being connected e.g., by another chain and a gripping device to the workpiece.

I claim:

1. Tensioning apparatus for applying tension to an object, said apparatus comprising:

a post;

means for movably supporting said post in an upright position;

means for vertically displaceably mounting a rotatable guide member on the top of said post;

a first rotatable guide member rotatably mounted in said rotatable guide member mounting means; rotatable guide member support means extending transversely of said post;

second and third rotatable guide members rotatably mounted in said rotatable guide member support means at opposite sides of said post;

means for supporting said rotatable guide member support means at any one of a plurality of different positions spaced apart along said post;

a plurality of sleeve members extending around said post and disposed in end-to-end relationship along said post, said sleeve members being slidable along said post;

means for supporting said rotatable guide member mounting means on the uppermost one of said sleeve member;

abutment means projecting laterally from the lowermost one of said sleeve members at opposite sides of said posts for transmitting vertically upwardly directed force to said sleeve members;

a pair of hydrauilc jacks disposed at opposite sides of said post between said abutment means and said rotatable guide member support means, said hydraulic jacks being extensible to apply said vertically upwardly directed force to said sleeve members and thereby raise said first rotatable guide member;

a chain extending over said first rotatable guide members and beneath said second and third rotatable guide member;

means for securing said chain at one side of said post to the object;

means for anchoring said chain at the opposite side 6 of said post; and

means for locking said chain against movement at said opposite side of said post towards one of said second and third rotatable guide members, whereby said chain can be tensioned by the extension of said hydraulic jacks.

2. Tensioning apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said locking means comprise a locking plate engageable with said chain and an abutment on said rotatable guide member support means for retaining said locking plate.

3. Tensioning apparatus as set forth in claim I, wherein said rotatable guide member mounting means comprise a lower portion shaped to fit slidably and downwardly into the tops of said post and said uppermost sleeve member, a support flange for supporting said rotatable guide member mounting means on said uppermost sleeve member, and a pair of side plates between which said first rotatable guide member is mounted.

4. Tensioning apparatus as set forth in claim I, wherein said rotatable guide member support means comprise a frame, said frame having a pair of parallel vertical side walls extending past opposite sides of said post.

5. Tensioning apparatus as set forth in claim I, wherein a second means for supporting said rotatable guide member support means is located along said post. l 

1. Tensioning apparatus for applying tension to an object, said apparatus comprising: a post; means for movably supporting said post in an upright position; means for vertically displaceably mounting a rotatable guide member on the top of said post; a first rotatable guide member rotatably mounted in said rotatable guide member mounting means; rotatable guide member support means extending transversely of said post; second and third rotatable guide members rotatably mounted in said rotatable guide member support means at opposite sides of said post; means for supporting said rotatable guide member support means at any one of a plurality of different positions spaced apart along said post; a plurality of sleeve members extending around said post and disposed in end-to-end relationship along said post, said sleeve members being slidable along said post; means for supporting said rotatable guide member mounting means on the uppermost one of said sleeve member; abutment means projecting laterally from the lowermost one of said sleeve members at opposite sides of said posts for transmitting vertically upwardly directed force to said sleeve members; a pair of hydrauilc jacks disposed at opposite sides of said post between said abutment means and said rotatable guide member support means, said hydraulic jacks being extensible to apply said vertically upwardly directed force to said sleeve members and thereby raise said first rotatable guide member; a chain extending over said first rotatable guide members and beneath said second and third rotatable guide member; means for securing said chain at one side of said post to the object; means for anchoring said chain at the opposite side of said post; and means for locking said chain against movement at said opposite side of said post towards one of said second and third rotatable guide members, whereby said chain can be tensioned by the extension of said hydraulic jacks.
 2. Tensioning apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said locking means comprise a locking plate engageable with said chain and an abutment on said rotatable guide member support means for retaining said locking plate.
 3. Tensioning apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said rotatable guide member mounting means comprise a lower portion shaped to fit slidably and downwardly into the tops of said post and said uppermost sleeve member, a support flange for supporting said rotatable guide member mounting means on said uppermost sleeve member, and a pair of side plates between which said first rotatable guide member is mounted.
 4. Tensioning apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said rotatable guide member support means comprise a frame, said frame having a pair of parallel vertical side walls extending past opposite sides of said post.
 5. Tensioning apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein a second means for supporting said rotatable guide member support means is located along said post. 